A group of community organizations formed community coalitions to educate their neighborhoods about the districting process, and to provide a resource for the community.
One of those community coalitions that were formed is an Asian American Pacific Islander group.
Edward Batoctoy Aparis, a Civic Education and Policy Advocacy Network liaison, said the aim of the coalition is to help the Asian American Pacific Islander community understand the process of districting in Chula Vista, to provide a platform so that residents can express their thoughts and concerns of the districting process, and to provide resources so residents could engage in the process of districting.
“We just want to serve as a resource for everybody in Chula Vista, and of course, to make sure that certain communities are aware of this (districting) process and issue in Chula Vista,” he said.
The coalition is a collaborative effort from the Council of Philippine American Organizations and the Southwest Center for Asian Pacific American Law and the Civic Education and Policy Advocacy Network.
The American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties provides the coalition with interpretations of the law regarding the districting process.
Aparis said the coalition can also help the districting commission seek outside opinion before mapping the district lines.
He said the commission is relying on data from the 2010 Census and by hearing the public’s testimony about their neighborhood, the commission can understand how certain communities will be affected.
“At the same time we also have to keep in mind that beyond the data that there are people who live in these areas that could provide a more of a quantitative prospective on the ground level of how these communities look like beyond just the numbers.”
Aparis, a Chula Vista High School alum, has experience with community outreaches regarding the districting process.
He was involved with outreach efforts pertaining to the California state redistricting process.
Aparis said he gets the sense that Filipino Americans in Chula Vista are wanting to be educated about the districting process.
“The challenge is how do you get voters’ rights act law into the common lexicon of everyday life,” he said.
Aparis said the Filipino community in Chula Vista is booming, especially with the recent Asian owned businesses throughout the city.
“The Asian American and Pacific Islander community in Chula Vista has definitely been growing in terms of population,” he said.
And the census numbers show that growth.
According to the 2010 Census, the city of Chula Vista’s population includes 14.4 percent of Asian Americans or 35,042, which is higher than the state average.
That numbered nearly doubled from the 2000 where only 18,781 Asians or 10.96 percent of Chula Vista’s population were Asian Americans.
